How can 3D-printed fashion be beneficial?

Shannon Li. October 30, 2022

Three-dimensional (3D) printed fashion is the process of producing various clothing and accessory designs through 3D software. 3D-printed fashion can be beneficial because of the positive impacts it has regarding moral beliefs, economical costs and the reduction of wasted materials during the creative process of designing (McCormick et al., 2020).

Morally

3D-printed fashion can help decrease the use of unethical methods to create garments and jewellery in the fashion industry because of the rise in the popularity of fast fashion. Fast fashion is a marketing strategy that focuses on the mass production of clothes to create trendy designs using low-quality materials and immoral labour practices (Stanton, 2018). Furthermore, fast fashion is a significant problem in the fashion industry due to the exploitation of underpaid workers and children in third-world countries (Srivastava, 2021). Therefore, 3D-printed fashion will assist in reducing child labour because of how inexpensive and environmentally friendly the procedure is.

Costs

3D-printed fashion is a cost-effective alternative for the manufacturing and design process in the fashion industry. To elaborate, brands and companies can continue to produce various garments with 3D printing without having to exploit children and vulnerable people for physical labour since there will be several machines that do not require any operators. Furthermore, 3D printing will help decrease costs in the manufacturing process for the reason that the machines only use the necessary quantities of materials. Although the equipment for 3D printing could be expensive, people can branch out to 3D printing service companies to save on costs while maintaining quality. In addition to saving money on physical labour and materials, 3D printing does not require a large amount of space for inventory for the reason that the designs are saved onto computer-aided design (CAD) or stereolithography (SLA) files (What are the advantages and disadvantages of 3D printing?, n.d).

Materials

3D-printed fashion can reduce and minimize wasted materials produced during the manufacturing process since the machine only takes the required amount of fabric for the specific part it is printing. When compared to traditional methods of creating garments, 3D printing is a more optimal and preferred choice because the materials used for making articles of clothing by hand are not always recyclable or reusable. The manufacturing process is also environmentally friendly since the materials used for 3D printing are mostly plastic, which is lightweight and strong, thus resulting in higher fuel efficiency (What are the advantages and disadvantages of 3D printing?, n.d).

How can a wide audience benefit from it?

The target demographic for 3D-printed fashion is Generation Z and Millennials because they are more interested in and experienced with technology in comparison to the other generations. This audience can benefit from 3D-printed fashion for the reason that Millennials and Gen Z are more concerned about the unethical practices utilized during the production process for the fashion industry and the materials used to create the garments they want to buy (McCormick et al., 2020). The traditional production method for creating garments always results in a lot of wasted fabrics and textiles. Contrastingly, the manufacturing process for 3D printing in the fashion industry results in zero waste of materials (McCormick et al., 2020). Another advantage of 3D printing is how accessible it is in modern society because people can purchase the software and equipment in their homes to create their own clothes.

How can 3D-printed fashion affect the 3Ps of Sustainability?

The 3Ps of sustainability represent the planet, people and profit. The 3Ps are also known as the triple bottom line, which is an evaluation of a business's performance in regard to economic, social and environmental standards (Bachrach et al., 2018).

Profit

3D-printed fashion is profitable because it is cost-effective since money can be saved on manual labour and materials. Another economic advantage is that there is no need for excessive costs on inventory since all designs are stored in files and the cloud (What are the advantages and disadvantages of 3D printing?, n.d).

People

3D-printed fashion positively impacts people because it assists in reducing the number of sweatshops and child labour used to create fast fashion for large companies (Srivastava, 2021). Therefore, 3D printing is a better alternative when concerning the ethical procedures used to reproduce articles of clothing.

Planet

3D-printed fashion benefits the planet because it decreases and minimizes wasted materials created during the manufacturing and design process. Furthermore, the textiles used for 3D printing are usually recyclable and reusable for the reason that the materials used are less water-intensive than cotton (Lam, 2021). Consequently, 3D-printed fashion is a more sustainable option because the materials used are mostly plastic, thus resulting in higher fuel efficiency (What are the advantages and disadvantages of 3D printing?, n.d).

References

Lam, C. (2021, June 15). Research recap: 3D printing the clothes you wear. Sustainable Waterloo Region. https://www.sustainablewaterlooregion.ca/2021/06/15/research-recap-3d-printing-the-clothes-you-wear/

McCormick, Helen & Zhang, Ran & Boardman, Rosy & Jones, Celina & Henninger, Claudia. (2020). 3D-Printing in the fashion industry: A fad or the future?. 10.1007/978-3-030-15483-7_8.

Stanton, A. (2018, August 2). What is fast fashion, anyway? The Good Trade. https://www.thegoodtrade.com/features/what-is-fast-fashion

Srivastava, A. (2021, February 9). The human cost of our garments. Fashion Revolution. https://www.fashionrevolution.org/the-human-cost-of-our-garments/

What are the advantages and disadvantages of 3D printing? TWI. (n.d.). https://www.twi-global.com/technical-knowledge/faqs/what-is-3d-printing/pros-and-cons